Printing apparatus and method of controlling the same, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

There are provided a printing apparatus which holds a job, determines whether attribution information of a sheet to be used by the stored job is registered for a sheet storage unit, judges whether a sheet exists in a sheet storage unit to be used by the job, and notifies a result of the determination and a result of the judgment.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/727,562, filed Jun. 1, 2015 (pending), which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 14/095,875, filed Dec. 3, 2013, issued as U.S.Pat. No. 9,058,555 on Jun. 16, 2015, the contents each of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of savinga print job and executing the saved print job, a method of controllingthe same, and a storage medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, there is a printing apparatus which supports a pluralityof types of media (sheets). This printing apparatus can create acomplicated high-value-added output material by using a plurality oftypes of sheets. For example, the printing apparatus uses high-qualitysheets using coated paper as front and back covers to performhigh-quality printing, uses wood-free paper as inner sheets, and usescolored paper as interleaved sheets used for pages at boundaries betweenthe chapters of contents. As another example, a wood-free sheet toobtain a high-quality output by color printing is used for a colorimage-containing page, and plain paper is used for a monochrome imagepage.

Printing apparatuses having a job hold function have also made theirdebut. The job hold function is a function of holding a plurality ofprint jobs in a printing apparatus temporarily or permanently, selectinga print job of the user's choice from the held print jobs later, andprinting it. When a plurality of print jobs are selected and printedthem at once, a succeeding print job can be executed at the same time asthe end of a preceding print job, saving the time taken for aninteraction between print jobs. This can increase the availability ofthe printing apparatus and the productivity when creating a printedmaterial by the printing apparatus (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2011-9980).

A printing apparatus capable of printing using various types of sheetscan obtain a complicated printed material by combining various types ofsheets. However, the following case is conceivable when the user furtherselects a plurality of complicated print jobs each using a combinationof types of sheets and issues a print instruction. Even if the printingapparatus is equipped with a plurality of sheet feed units, sheets of aplurality of types to be used by the selected print jobs are not alwaysloaded in the sheet feed units at the start of printing withoutexception. If printing starts while a sheet to be used by the print jobis not loaded in any sheet feed unit, the printing apparatus displays anerror such as the absence of the sheet in the stage of feeding thesheet, and interrupts the print process. If the user loads the sheet tobe used by the print job in a sheet feed unit, the printing apparatuscan restart the print process. However, after the user selects aplurality of print jobs and issues a print instruction of them at once,the user may move away from the printing apparatus and perform anotherprocess. In such a case, the user does not notice the interruption ofthe print process owing to the absence of the sheet or the like. If sucha situation occurs, the unwanted stop time of the printing apparatusbecomes longer, and another user may be bothered.

If the user stands next to the printing apparatus awaiting theoccurrence of the absence of a sheet error to prevent theabove-mentioned situation before it happens, the printing apparatusinterrupting printing for a long time can be avoided. However, this isnot preferable in essence in terms of productivity of the printingapparatus and user friendliness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentionedproblems with conventional technology.

A feature of the present invention is to provide a technique ofnotifying whether attribution information of a sheet used by a job isnot registered in relation to a sheet storage unit and whether a sheetexists in a sheet storage unit to be used by the job.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aprinting apparatus comprising: a holding unit configured to hold a job;a determination unit configured to determine whether attributioninformation of a sheet to be used by the job held in the holding unit isregistered for a sheet storage unit; a judgment unit configured to judgewhether a sheet exists in a sheet storage unit to be used by the job;and a notification unit configured to notify a result of thedetermination by the determination unit and a result of the judgment bythe judgment unit.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 depicts a view for explaining a digital printing system accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional arrangementof the digital printing apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a computer (PC)according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 depicts a plan view showing the console unit of the digitalprinting apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 depicts a view for explaining the programs of the digitalprinting apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 depicts a view exemplifying the structure of programs in thecomputer according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit in the digitalprinting apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet managementtable which manages information of a sheet loaded in each sheet feedingunit in the digital printing apparatus according to the firstembodiment;

FIGS. 9A to 9C depict views illustrating examples of information ofsheets to be used by Job A, Job D, and Job E shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit in the digitalprinting apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 depicts a view illustrating an example of a job hold functionoperation screen displayed on the console unit in the digital printingapparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet managementtable which manages information of a sheet loaded in each sheet feedingunit in the digital printing apparatus according to the firstembodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for describing a process by the digital printingapparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts for describing details of a mismatchcheck process (step S1307) upon pressing a mismatch check buttonaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 15 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on a console unit in a digital printingapparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are flowcharts for describing details of a mismatchcheck process (step S1307) upon pressing a mismatch check buttonaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 17 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on a console unit in a digital printingapparatus according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 18 depicts a schematic view for explaining a printing systemaccording to a fifth embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of acontroller in a printing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the software arrangement of thecontroller and its peripheral arrangement in the printing apparatusaccording to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 21 depicts a view illustrating an example of a hold job listdisplayed on a UI in the printing apparatus according to the fifthembodiment;

FIG. 22 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet substitutionscreen displayed on the UI in the printing apparatus according to thefifth embodiment;

FIGS. 23A and 23B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayinga job list screen by the controller in the printing apparatus accordingto the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for describing a process of determining themedium mismatch states of a plurality of selected jobs by the controllerin the printing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment;

FIGS. 25A and 25B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayingthe sheet substitution screen by the controller in the printingapparatus according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart for describing a process of determining thepresence/absence of a medium mismatch for each sheet by the controllerin the printing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment;

FIGS. 27A and 27B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayinga job list screen by a controller in a printing apparatus according to asixth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 28A and 28B are flowcharts for describing a process of determiningthe presence/absence of a medium mismatch for each sheet by a controllerin a printing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described hereinafterin detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to beunderstood that the following embodiments is not intended to limit theclaims of the present invention, and that not all of the combinations ofthe aspects that are described according to the following embodimentsare necessarily required with respect to the means to solve the problemsaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a view for explaining a digital printing system accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention. In this printingsystem, a digital printing apparatus 102 and computer 101 are connectedvia a network 100.

The digital printing apparatus 102 is configured by coupling a pluralityof apparatuses having different functions to enable a complicated sheetprocess. Respective parts forming the digital printing apparatus 102will be explained.

A printer 1000 forms (prints) an image on a sheet fed from a sheet feedunit by using toner based on image data. The arrangement and operationprinciple of the printer 1000 are as follows.

A beam, such as a laser beam, modulated in accordance with image data isreflected by a rotating polyhedral mirror (polygonal mirror) andirradiates a photosensitive drum as scan light. An electrostatic latentimage formed on the photosensitive drum by the laser beam is developedwith toner, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet held by atransfer drum. The series of image formation processes is sequentiallyexecuted for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners,forming a full-color image on the sheet. The printer 1000 may beconfigured to be able to apply a so-called spot color toner, atransparent toner, and the like, in addition to these four colors. Thesheet bearing the full-color image on the transfer drum is conveyed to afixing unit. The fixing unit includes a roller and belt, and the rollerincorporates a heat source such as a halogen heater. The fixing unitdissolves, by heat and pressure, the toner on the sheet on which thetoner image is transferred, and fixes it to the sheet.

The printer 1000 of the digital printing apparatus 102 according to thefirst embodiment includes a scanner 224, and a console unit 204 (FIG. 4)arranged on the top of the printer 1000. The console unit 204 isarranged at the top of the printer 1000 and thus is not illustrated inFIG. 1. The console unit 204 provides various interfaces used when theuser performs various settings, operations, and the like for the printer1000 according to the first embodiment.

Further, the digital printing apparatus 102 is configured to be able tomount various optional apparatuses, in addition to the printer 1000.

Large-volume sheet feeders 221, 222, and 223 are sheet feedersdismountable from the printer 1000. These sheet feeders include aplurality of sheet feed units 233 to 241. With this arrangement, theprinter 1000 can perform the print process for a large volume of sheets.

Large-volume stackers 225 and 226 are apparatuses for stocking printedsheets. In a system including the above-mentioned large-volume sheetfeeders, the volume of generated printed materials also becomes large,so the large-volume stackers are required. Note that the numbers oflarge-volume stackers and large-volume sheet feeders are not limited tothose in the arrangement of FIG. 1.

The large-volume stackers 225 and 226 can open outer lids in accordancewith an instruction operation by the user to take out sheets stacked oninner stacking trays. In addition, the large-volume stackers 225 and 226can automatically open the outer lids in accordance with an instructionfrom the printer 1000. When executing the outer lid opening process, itis controlled to stop in advance the stacking process of printed sheetson the large-volume stackers 225 and 226.

The large-volume stackers 225 and 226 have a shift discharge function ofshifting the stacking position of an arbitrary sheet when stackingprinted sheets. Thus, a large volume of stacked sheets can be sortedinto predetermined bundles. A folding unit 232 is an apparatus forexecuting various folding processes such as center folding, Z-folding,three-folding, and quarto for sheets. A saddle stitching apparatus 227includes various units for performing a staple process for sheetsprinted by the printer 1000, and saddle stitching, saddle folding, punchprocess, shift discharge process, and the like when creating a boundoutput material. When creating a saddle-stitched output material byusing the saddle stitching apparatus 227, the digital printing apparatus102 according to the first embodiment combines the saddle foldingfunction and saddle stitching function of the saddle stitchingapparatus, and forms an output material without using the foldingfunction of the folding unit 232.

A trimmer 230 is an apparatus for conveying a bound output materialsaddle-stitched by the saddle stitching apparatus 227, and trimmingportions corresponding to fore edges to make the fore edges flat. Aninserter 228 inserts a sheet held by the inserter 228 into sheetsconveyed from the printer 1000 at an appropriate timing based onsettings. The inserter 228 can insert a sheet requiring no printing intoprinted sheets. The inserter 228 has a plurality of large-capacity sheetfeeding portions to cope with a large-capacity print process, similar tothe large-volume sheet feeders 221, 222, and 223. A case bindingapparatus 229 is an apparatus for gluing a front cover to a bundle ofsheets printed by the printer 1000 or discharged from the inserter 228,thereby forming a case-bound output material. The case binding apparatus229 can also execute a pad binding process corresponding to a workprocess of performing glue binding without adding a front cover.

The digital printing apparatus 102 can be divided into roughly threeparts at the boundaries of the printer 1000. In FIG. 1, devices arrangedon the right side of the printer 1000 are called sheet feedingapparatuses. The main role of the sheet feeding apparatuses is tosuccessively supply sheets loaded in them to the printer 1000 atappropriate timings. These apparatuses also, for example, detect theremaining amount of sheets loaded in them. A sheet feed unit 231 existseven in the printer 1000 and can execute the same function as that ofthe sheet feeders 221 to 223. In the following description, the sheetfeed unit of the printer 1000 will also be called a sheet feed unit.

In FIG. 1, devices arranged on the left side of the printer 1000 arecalled sheet work apparatuses, sheet processing apparatuses, orpost-processing apparatuses. The sheet work apparatuses perform aprocess of, for example, applying various work processes to sheetshaving undergone the print process or gathering the sheets. In thefollowing description, the above-mentioned sheet feeding apparatuses andthe sheet work apparatuses will be called sheet processing apparatuses200.

The computer 101 is a general-purpose computer (PC) connected to thedigital printing apparatus 102 via the network 100. The computer 101 canexecute various application programs and transmit a print job to thedigital printing apparatus 102.

Next, the arrangement (mainly software arrangement) of the digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment will beexplained.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional arrangementof the digital printing apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment.Note that blocks shown in FIG. 2 are divided by the unit of the system,and some portions do not always correspond to those divided by the unitof the device arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

The digital printing apparatus 102 incorporates a nonvolatile memorysuch as a hard disk (to be referred to as an HDD hereinafter) 209capable of storing data of a job to undergo a plurality of processes.Although the first embodiment exemplifies the digital printing apparatus102 using a hard disk, the storage is not limited to a hard disk as longas it is a similar large-capacity, nonvolatile storage.

The digital printing apparatus 102 has a copy function of storing dataaccepted from the scanner 224 in the HDD 209, reading it out from theHDD 209, and printing it by the printer 1000. Also, the digital printingapparatus 102 has, for example, a print function of storing, in the HDD209, job data received from an external apparatus via an external I/F202 serving as an example of a communication unit, reading out the jobdata from the HDD 209, and printing it by the printer 1000. The digitalprinting apparatus 102 is an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral: also calledan image forming apparatus) having a plurality of functions. The digitalprinting apparatus 102 is arbitrarily capable of color printing ormonochrome printing.

The scanner 224 reads an original image, performs an image process forimage data obtained by reading the original, and outputs the processeddata. The external I/F 202 transmits/receives image data and the liketo/from a facsimile apparatus, network connection device, or externaldedicated apparatus. The HDD 209 stores various types of managementinformation which are permanently stored, changed, and managed by thedigital printing apparatus 102. The digital printing apparatus 102includes the printer 1000 which executes the print process for data of atarget print job stored in the HDD 209. The digital printing apparatus102 also includes the console unit 204 which has a display and is anexample of a user interface. A control unit 205 serving as an example ofthe control unit of the digital printing apparatus 102 includes a CPU212, and performs centralized control of the processes, operations, andthe like of various units of the digital printing apparatus 102. A ROM207 stores various control programs necessary in the first embodiment,including programs to be executed by the CPU 212 to execute variousprocesses of flowcharts to be described later and the like. The ROM 207also stores display control programs for displaying various UI screenson the display of the console unit 204, including a user interfacescreen (to be referred to as a UI screen hereinafter).

The CPU 212 of the control unit 205 reads out and executes a programstored in the ROM 207, causing the digital printing apparatus 102 toexecute various operations according to the first embodiment. The ROM207 also stores, for example, a program for causing the CPU 212 toexecute an operation of interpreting data of a page description language(to be abbreviated as PDL hereinafter) received from an externalapparatus via the external I/F 202, and rasterizing the data into rasterimage data (bitmap image data). Similarly, the ROM 207 stores, forexample, a program for causing the CPU 212 to interpret and process aprint job received from an external apparatus via the external I/F 202.These programs are processed by software. The ROM 207 is a read-onlymemory, and stores in advance programs such as a boot sequence and fontinformation, and various programs such as the above-described programs.Details of various programs stored in the ROM 207 will be describedlater. A RAM 208 is a readable/writable memory, and stores image datasent from the scanner 224 and external I/F 202, various programs,setting information, and the like.

The HDD 209 stores image data compressed by a codec 210. The HDD 209 isconfigured to be able to hold a plurality of data items of such as printdata of a job to be processed. The control unit 205 stores, in the HDD209, data of jobs to be processed that are input via various input unitssuch as the scanner 224 and external I/F 202, reads out the data fromthe HDD 209, and outputs them to the printer 1000 to print. The controlunit 205 controls to transmit job data read out from the HDD 209 to anexternal apparatus via the external I/F 202. In this manner, the controlunit 205 executes various output processes for data of a job to beprocessed that is stored in the HDD 209. The codec 210 compresses ordecompresses image data and the like stored in the RAM 208 and HDD 209in accordance with various compression methods such as JBIG and JPEG.

The control unit 205 also controls the operations of the sheetprocessing apparatuses 200. The sheet processing apparatuses 200 areequivalent to the sheet feeding apparatuses and sheet work apparatusesdescribed with reference to FIG. 1. A sheet manager 211 is a module formanaging information about, for example, the type of sheet processableby the digital printing apparatus 102.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the computer (PC)101 according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 3, a CPU 301 executes programs such as an OS, generalapplication, and bookbinding application which are stored in the programROM of a ROM 303 or loaded from an HDD 311 into a RAM 302. The ROM 303also includes a font ROM and data ROM. The RAM 302 functions as a mainmemory, work area, and the like for the CPU 301. A keyboard controller(KBC) 305 controls inputs from a keyboard 309 and a pointing device (notshown). A display controller 306 controls display on a display 310. Adisk controller (DKC) 307 controls access to, for example, the HDD 311which stores a boot program, various applications, font data, userfiles, and the like. A network controller (NC) 312 is connected to thenetwork 100 and executes a communication control process with anotherdevice connected to the network 100. A bus 304 connects the CPU 301, RAM302, ROM 303, various controllers, and the like, and transmits datasignals and control signals.

FIG. 4 depicts a plan view showing the console unit 204 of the digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment.

The console unit 204 includes a key input portion 402 capable ofaccepting a user operation with a hard key, and a touch panel 401serving as an example of a display unit capable of accepting a useroperation with a soft key (display key). A screen displayed on thedisplay of the touch panel 401 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of anoperation screen displayed under the control of the control unit 205.Items to be displayed on the display or operable on the display changein accordance with an operation to this screen by the user, or variousstates of the devices.

FIG. 5 depicts a view for explaining the programs of the digitalprinting apparatus according to the first embodiment.

These programs are stored in the ROM 207, read out by the CPU 212 of thecontrol unit 205 of the digital printing apparatus 102, and executed.

A boot loader 501 is a program to be executed immediately after power-onof the digital printing apparatus 102. These programs include programsfor executing various activation sequences necessary to activate thesystem. An operating system 502 is a program aiming to provide theexecution environment of various programs for implementing the functionsof the digital printing apparatus 102. The operating system 502 mainlyprovides functions such as resource management of the memory of thedigital printing apparatus 102, that is, the ROM 207, RAM 208, HDD 209,and the like, and basic input/output control of the respective unitsshown in FIG. 2. A data transmission/reception program 503 performs atransmission/reception process to be performed when a data input/outputrequest is generated via the external I/F 202. More specifically, thedata transmission/reception program 503 contains the TCP/IP protocolstack or the like, and controls communication of various data exchangedwith an external device or the like connected via the network 100. Thiscommunication process is a process specialized in thetransmission/reception level of data packets and a communication processby an HTTP server or the like, and does not include an analysis processregarding the contents of received data (to be described later). Thecontrol unit 205 executes the data analysis process based on thedescription contents of another program.

A JDF (Job Definition Format) function program 504 is a program ofexecuting the JDF print function by the control unit 205 in accordancewith an instruction from the external I/F 202 when the digital printingapparatus 102 receives JDF job data via the external I/F 202. With theJDF print function, the control unit 205 sequentially designates theoperations of respective devices in an appropriate order based on aprocess order and process conditions described in the program. As aresult, it is controlled to finally execute the JDF print process. Therespective devices include the sheet processing apparatus 200, printer1000, HDD 209, codec 210, and RAM 208. The JDF function program 504 alsoincludes programs for performing an analysis process for JDF job datareceived via the external I/F 202, performing a discrimination processof whether the JDF contains an improper setting as a result of theanalysis process, and performing setting change or the like to cancelthe improper setting.

A copy function program 505 is a program for executing the copy functionby the control unit 205 in accordance with an instruction from theconsole unit 204 when the user of the digital printing apparatus 102designates execution of the copy function from the console unit 204.With the copy function executed by the control unit 205, the controlunit 205 sequentially designates the resources of the digital printingapparatus 102 and the operations of respective devices in an appropriateorder based on a process order and process conditions described in theprogram. It is therefore controlled to finally execute the copy process.The respective devices include the scanner 224, printer 1000, sheetprocessing apparatus 200, HDD 209, codec 210, and RAM 208.

A scan function program 506 is a program for executing the scan functionby the control unit 205 in accordance with an instruction from theconsole unit 204 when the user of the digital printing apparatus 102designates execution of the scan function from the console unit 204. Thecontrol unit 205 controls modules such as the scanner 224, HDD 209,codec 210, and RAM 208 in accordance with a process order and processconditions described in the program. At this time, by sequentiallydesignating the operations of the respective devices in an appropriateorder, it is controlled to finally execute the scan process.

A PDL (Page Description Language) function program 507 executes the PDLprint function by the control unit 205 when the digital printingapparatus 102 receives PDL data (print job data) via the external I/F202. With the PDL print function executed by the control unit 205, thecontrol unit 205 sequentially designates the operations of respectivedevices in an appropriate order based on a process order and processconditions described in the program. As a result, it is controlled tofinally execute the PDL print process. The respective devices includethe sheet processing apparatus 200, printer 1000, HDD 209, codec 210,and RAM 208.

A BOX function program 508 executes the BOX function by the control unit205 in accordance with an instruction from the console unit 204 when theuser of the digital printing apparatus 102 designates execution of theBOX function from the console unit 204. With the BOX function, thecontrol unit 205 executes the BOX process by sequentially designatingthe operations of respective devices in an appropriate order based on aprocess order and process conditions described in the program. Therespective devices include the scanner 224, printer 1000, sheetprocessing apparatus 200, HDD 209, codec 210, and RAM 208. The settings,at the time of storage, of the job of job data stored in the HDD 209 bythis BOX function can be changed to execute the job.

A UI (User Interface) function program 509 is a control program for theconsole unit 204. The UI function program 509 identifies contents inputfrom the console unit 204 by the user of the digital printing apparatus102, performs an appropriate screen transition, and issues a processrequest instruction to the control unit 205.

A sheet management program 510 is a program for executing the managementfunction regarding sheets available in the digital printing apparatus102. Sheet-related information managed by this program is stored in theHDD 209.

A job hold function program 511 is a program to be executed by thecontrol unit 205 when the user of the digital printing apparatus 102designates execution of the job hold function from the console unit 204.The job hold function is a function of storing data to be printed in theHDD 209 of the digital printing apparatus 102 until the user issues aprint instruction, and then printing in accordance with data for whichthe print instruction has been accepted from the user. With the job holdfunction, the control unit 205 executes the job hold print process bysequentially designating the operations of respective devices in anappropriate order based on a process order and process conditionsdescribed in the program. These devices include the printer 1000, sheetprocessing apparatus 200, HDD 209, codec 210, and RAM 208. The settingsof stored job data at the time of storage can be changed to execute thejob.

Print job data is stored from the computer 101 serving as an externaldevice for the job hold function of the digital printing apparatus 102according to the following procedures. More specifically, storage by thejob hold function is designated instead of performing the print processfor job data in accordance with the PDL function program 507, JDFfunction program 504, or the like. Which of the PDL function program 507and JDF function program 504 issues a print instruction or performs thestorage process to the job hold function is determined by designation ofa print application running on the computer 101 serving as a job inputdestination. This designation is reflected in the setting attribute ofjob data to be processed by the PDL function program 507, JDF functionprogram 504, or the like. The PDL function program 507 or JDF functionprogram 504 switches the process based on the setting attribute.

Note that the digital printing apparatus need not include all thefunction programs shown in FIG. 5, but may include some of them or afunction program other than the above-described ones.

A save document storage area 512 is a save job data storage area managedby the job hold function program 511. Job data to be saved that has beenreceived from an external apparatus is stored in the save documentstorage area 512 together with print settings.

FIG. 6 depicts a view exemplifying the structure of programs in thecomputer 101 according to the first embodiment.

The operations of a boot loader 601 and operating system 602 are thesame those of the boot loader 501 and operating system 502 in FIG. 5,and a description thereof will not be repeated. A device driver 603 is aprogram for controlling various hardware units connected to the computer101. The device driver 603 includes programs for controlling the KBC305, display controller 306, DKC 307, and the like. A print applicationprogram 604 is a general term of programs which run on the computer 101and aim to provide various functions and services to the user of theprinting system. The print application program 604 has a function ofcreating or editing data of a print job. The print application program604 also has a function of converting various print specifications setfrom the setting screen (not shown) of the application program 604 intocorresponding print settings.

The print application program 604 can also reversely convert settingsincluded in print settings into internal information necessary tocontrol display items on a corresponding setting screen of the printapplication program 604. Further, the print application program 604 hasa function of selecting a print setting file saved in the HDD 311 andcreating print job data. The print application program 604 has anability to convert print settings into a PDL command format or JDFformat, and compositing them with data to be printed, thereby creatingprint job data.

A network control program 605 is a program to be executed when print jobdata created by the print application program 604 is transmitted to thedigital printing apparatus 102 connected via the network 100. Theprogram 605 can be configured to have a function of, for example,transmitting print data, and after the transmission, acquiring progressinformation of a print job executed by the digital printing apparatus102. Other programs 607 include programs other than the above-describedones, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit 204 in the digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment. This job holdscreen includes a plurality of display areas and a plurality ofoperation buttons. An important point in the description of the firstembodiment will be explained. The job hold function is a function ofstoring data to be printed in the HDD 209 of the digital printingapparatus 102 until the user issues a print instruction, and thenprinting in accordance with data for which the print instruction hasbeen accepted from the user. With the job hold function, the digitalprinting apparatus 102 can store a plurality of data items in the HDD209.

A job hold list 702 is a region where a list of print job data saved inthe save document storage area 512 of the digital printing apparatus 102is displayed. In the example of FIG. 7, six print job data items aredisplayed. Note that the digital printing apparatus 102 can store alarger number of print jobs in the HDD 209 than the number of print jobssimultaneously displayable in the job hold list 702. For example, whenseven or more print jobs are stored, the user can sequentially displayall the stored print jobs in the job hold list 702 by pressing scrollbuttons 705 and 706. For each print job displayed in the job hold list702, a job name 710, a user name 711 of a user who saved this job, and adate/time field 712 indicating the date and time when the print job wassaved in the digital printing apparatus 102 are displayed.

A user who operates this job hold screen is assumed to select a job tobe printed based on these pieces of information.

Assume that a user who operates the job hold screen in the job holdfunction of the digital printing apparatus 102 is “Operator A”. Among aplurality of jobs displayed in the job hold list 702 in FIG. 7, thereare three jobs having the user name “Operator A”, that is, jobs “Job A”,“Job D”, and “Job E”.

In some use cases, a user who operates the digital printing apparatus102 selects and prints a print job of a user not matching the user nameof this user. However, in most use cases, the user selects and printshis or her print job as a target print job. For this reason, a case inwhich the user selects and prints the user's print job will beexemplified. However, the present invention is applicable to even a casein which the user selects and prints a print job which is not the user'sprint job.

When the user presses a print job portion displayed in the job hold list702 with his finger or the like, the print job is selected as a targetprint job. The print job selection process will be explained in detailwith reference to subsequent drawings.

A print job list 703 displays a list of print jobs for which the digitalprinting apparatus 102 has started the print process. In the example ofFIG. 7, there is no print job for which the print process has started.That is, the printer 1000 of the digital printing apparatus 102 is idle.

A print start button 708 is a button for designating the start of theprint process for a print job selected from the job hold list 702. Astop button 709 is a button for stopping execution of a print job forwhich the print process has started with the print start button 708.

A mismatch check button 704 is a button for designating a collationprocess between information of a sheet to be used by a print jobselected from the job hold list 702, and a sheet loaded in the digitalprinting apparatus 102. In this collation process, it is determinedwhether a sheet to be used by a print job stored in the HDD 209 has notbeen loaded in any sheet feed unit of the digital printing apparatus102. For example, assume that print job P has a setting of using only“sheet A”. Also, assume that “sheet A” is set for the sheet feed unit ofthe digital printing apparatus 102 and loaded (case 1). If the userpresses the mismatch check button 704 in this state, it is determined asthe result of collation that “sheet A” to be used by print job P isavailable.

As another example, assume that print job P has a setting of using only“sheet A”, “sheet A” is set for the sheet feed unit of the digitalprinting apparatus 102, but the remaining amount of sheets of “sheet A”in this sheet feed unit is 0 (case 2). If the user presses the mismatchcheck button 704 in this state, it is determined as the result ofcollation that “sheet A” to be used by selected print job P is preparedto be available but the remaining amount of sheets of “sheet A” is 0. Asa solution in this case, the user supplies “sheet A” in the sheet feedunit.

As still another example, assume that selected print job P has a settingof using only “sheet A”, and “sheet A” is not set for any sheet feedunit of the digital printing apparatus 102 (case 3). If the user pressesthe mismatch check button 704 in this state, it is determined as theresult of collation that “sheet A” to be used by selected print job P isnot available. As a solution in this case, the user sets “sheet A” assetting information for a sheet feed unit and supplies “sheet A” in thesheet feed unit.

In case 2 and case 3 described above, if the user presses the printstart button 708 while selecting a print job, an unprepared sheet is tobe fed. At this stage, a paper out error is generated, and the printprocess stops, decreasing the productivity in the digital printingapparatus 102.

To the contrary, according to the first embodiment, the functionprovided by the mismatch check button 704 allows the user to confirm,before pressing the print start button 708, whether a sheet to be usedby a selected print job is usable in the digital printing apparatus 102.This is because the print process can be started after the user sets orsupplies sheets based on the result of a check with the mismatch checkbutton 704. Accordingly, the user can prepare sheets before the start ofa print job, and can reduce the risk of a decrease in productivitycaused by interruption of the print process by the digital printingapparatus upon generation of a paper out error after the start ofexecuting the print job.

A details/change button 707 is a button for changing the screen to ascreen to confirm details of a print job selected in the job hold list702 or change print specifications.

FIG. 8 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet managementtable which manages information of a sheet loaded in each sheet feedunit in the digital printing apparatus 102 according to the firstembodiment. The sheet management table is stored in the HDD 209 andlooked up by the CPU 212.

In an example shown in FIG. 8, pieces of information of a size 812,sheet type 813, and remaining amount 814 of sheets are managed by usinga sheet feed unit ID 811 as a key for each of 10 feed units of thedigital printing apparatus 102.

For example, reference numeral 801 denotes that the size of a sheetloaded in a sheet feed unit (ID=1) is A4, the sheet type is plain paper1, and the remaining amount of sheets is 3. Numerical values indicatedby the remaining amount 814 of sheets have the following meanings: 3:full (100%), 2: a small number of remaining sheets (25%), 1: a verysmall number of remaining sheets (less than 5%), and 0: no sheet remains(0%). Note that the detection accuracy of the remaining amount of sheetscan be made finer by, for example, increasing the accuracy of aremaining amount sensor. However, the digital printing apparatus 102according to the first embodiment detects the remaining amount of sheetsbased on the above-described specifications.

FIGS. 9A to 9C depict view illustrating examples of information ofsheets to be used by Job A, Job D, and Job E shown in FIG. 7.

This information is held by storing print settings simultaneously whenthe job hold function program 511 in FIG. 5 stores print job data in thesave document storage area 512. Note that the print settings includeinformation of a sheet to be used by a print job.

FIG. 9A shows that Job A uses a total of two types of sheets, that is, asheet of size A4 and sheet type “plain paper 1” and a sheet of size A4and sheet type “double-side coated paper 1”. FIG. 9B shows that Job Duses a total of two types of sheets, that is, a sheet of size LTR andsheet type “plain paper 1” and a sheet of 11×17 size and sheet type“plain paper 1”. Similarly, FIG. 9C shows that Job E uses a total ofthree types of sheets, that is, a sheet of size A4 and sheet type “plainpaper 1”, a sheet of size A4 and sheet type “colored paper (red)”, and asheet of size A3 and sheet type “double-side coated paper 2”.

FIG. 10 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit 204 in the digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 showsa display example immediately after operator A operates the job holdscreen displayed on the console unit 204 and selects a print job. Thesame reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 denote the same parts. Inthis state, operator A sequentially selects Job A, Job D, and Job E, andthese three jobs are selected. The selected jobs are indicated byselection marks 1001, 1002, and 1003 on the left side of the job namefields. Further, numerical values are added to the marks 1001, 1002 and1003 to indicate the order in which the print jobs have been selected.Reference numeral 1004 denotes finally selected Job E which ishighlighted. This means that this job is currently selected in the jobhold list 702. If the operator presses the details/change button 707 inthis state, the user can confirm detailed information of Job E andchange the settings.

FIG. 11 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit 204 in the digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 showsan example of a job hold screen displayed immediately after the operatorpresses the mismatch check button 704 while the job hold list 702 is inthe state shown in FIG. 10. The same reference numerals as those in FIG.10 denote the same parts, and a description thereof will not berepeated.

In FIG. 10, for each of three jobs Job A, Job D, and Job E selected bythe user, a match between a sheet to be used by each print job and asheet set for the sheet feed unit of the digital printing apparatus 102is checked.

As for Job A, sheets to be used by the print job are set for sheet feedunits, and the remaining amount is not 0, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A. Inthis case, when the user presses the print start button 708, the usercan know, before designating the start of printing, that the possibilityat which a paper out error will occur is very low.

As for Job D, sheets to be used by the print job are set for sheet feedunits, but the remaining amount of a given type is 0, as shown in FIGS.8 and 9B. More specifically, the remaining amount of size “11×17” andsheet type “plain paper 1” set for “feed unit 9” is 0. If the userpresses the print start button 708 in this state, a paper out erroroccurs in the stage of feeding a sheet of size “11×17”, and the printprocess stops. This is represented by a warning mark 1101. If the userrecognizes that the warning mark 1101 has been displayed, it suffices totake a proper measure, that is, supply sheets of size “11×17” and sheettype “plain paper 1” in “feed unit 9”.

As for Job E, a sheet not set for any sheet feed unit exists amongsheets to be used by the print job, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9C. Morespecifically, a sheet of size A3 and sheet type “double-side coatedpaper 2” is not set for any sheet feed unit. This is represented by awarning mark 1102. If the user presses the print start button 708 inthis state, the user can know, before designating the start of printing,that a paper out error will occur in the stage of feeding the sheet andthe print job will stop. If the user confirms that the warning mark 1102has been displayed, the user takes a proper measure, that is, specifiesanother sheet feed unit (desirably a sheet feed unit, the use of whichby a job is not decided), and changes the sheet settings of the sheetfeed unit to size A3 and sheet type “double-side coated paper 2”.Further, the user supplies corresponding sheets in the sheet feed unit.If originally loaded sheets remain, the user exchanges them with thecorresponding sheets. The warning mark 1101 represents that a sheet tobe used by a print job is set for a sheet feed unit but the remainingamount is 0. The warning mark 1102 represents that a sheet to be used bya print job is not set for any sheet feed unit. By making the shapes ofthe warning marks 1101 and 1102 different from each other, the user canrecognize in distinction whether a sheet for a job is not set for anysheet feed unit, or whether a sheet for a job is set but the remainingamount of this type is 0.

In this fashion, when the user presses the mismatch check button 704,the warning marks 1101 and/or 1102 is displayed in correspondence withprint jobs for which a paper out error will occur. The user can avoidthe stop of execution of a print job after designating the start of theprint job.

If the user presses the details/change button 707 in the state of FIG.11, a sheet size and sheet type (for example, FIG. 9C) to be used byselected Job E are displayed. At this time, information of a sheet (inthis case, A3 and double-side coated paper 2) not set for any sheet feedunit is, for example, highlighted and displayed, and a sheet not set forany sheet feed unit can be presented to the user.

If the user selects Job D and presses the details/change button 707 inthe state of FIG. 11, a sheet size and sheet type (for example, FIG. 9B)to be used by Job D are displayed. At this time, the CPU 212 flickerssheet information for which the remaining amount is 0. Also, the CPU 212flickers the display of a sheet feed unit for which the sheet is set.From them, the user can grasp information of a sheet of a sheet size andsheet type to be used by Job D for which the remaining amount is 0, andthe sheet feed unit of the sheet. Even when a sheet size and sheet typeare displayed, the display method of sheet information when a sheet isnot set for any sheet feed unit, and the display method of sheetinformation when the remaining amount is 0 are made different from eachother. The user can recognize in distinction whether a sheet of adisplayed size and type is not set for any sheet feed unit, or whetherthe remaining amount is 0.

FIG. 12 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet managementtable which manages information of a sheet loaded in each sheet feedunit in the digital printing apparatus 102 according to the firstembodiment. FIG. 12 shows the sheet management table after the userexecutes the avoidance process based on the screen and operation in FIG.11. The sheet management table in FIG. 12 is also stored in the HDD 209and looked up by the CPU 212. The same reference numerals as those inFIG. 8 denote the same parts, and a description thereof will not berepeated.

A difference from the table shown in FIG. 8 is that the sheet type of asheet feed unit (ID=4) has been changed to “double-side coated paper 2”and sheets have been supplied (remaining amount is 3). Anotherdifference is that sheets have been supplied to a sheet feed unit (ID=9)and the remaining amount has changed from 0 to 3.

If the user presses again the mismatch check button 704 in FIG. 11 afterexecuting the sheet registration and supply processes to obtain thestate shown in FIG. 12, the screen returns to one shown in FIG. 10. Thatis, the warning marks 1101 and 1102 in FIG. 11, each representing thecause of generation of a paper out error, disappear.

If the user presses again the print start button 708 in this state, theuser can know, before the start of printing, that the possibility atwhich a paper out error will occur after the digital printing apparatus102 starts the print process is very low. This can increase theproductivity of the user and the availability of the digital printingapparatus 102. As a result, the convenience of the digital printingapparatus 102 directed to the POD market can be improved.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for describing a process by the digital printingapparatus 102 according to the first embodiment. This process isachieved by executing, by the CPU 212 of the control unit 205, a programwhich is read out from the ROM 207 or HDD 209 and deployed in the RAM208. This process starts while the display of the console unit 204displays the screen shown in FIG. 7.

First, in step S1301, the CPU 212 waits for a user operation on thescreen shown in FIG. 7 that is displayed on the console unit 204. Theprocess stays in step S1301 until the user performs an operation. If theuser executes an operation on the console unit 204, the process advancesto step S1302, and the CPU 212 determines whether the operation is anoperation of selecting a print job displayed in the job hold list 702.If the CPU 212 determines that the operation is an operation ofselecting a print job displayed in the job hold list 702, the processadvances to step S1303, and the CPU 212 determines whether the selectedprint job has already been in the selection state (has been alreadyselected). If the CPU 212 determines that the selected print job hasalready been in the selection state, the process advances to step S1304,the CPU 212 cancels the selection state of the print job (the print jobis in non-selected state), and then the process returns to step S1301.If the CPU 212 determines in step S1303 that the selected print job hasnot already been in the selection state, the process advances to stepS1305, and the CPU 212 changes the print job to the selection state.More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 212 displays selectedprint jobs together with the mark 1001, 1002, or 1003 representing theselection state. The process then returns to step S1301.

If the CPU 212 determines in step S1302 that the operation in step S1301is not an operation of selecting a print job displayed in the job holdlist 702, the process advances to step S1306. In step S1306, the CPU 212determines whether the user has pressed the mismatch check button 704.If the CPU 212 determines that the user has pressed the mismatch checkbutton 704, the process advances to step S1307, the CPU 212 executes themismatch check process, and then the process advances to step S1301.Note that the process in step S1307 will be described later withreference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 14A and 14B.

If the CPU 212 determines in step S1306 that the user has not pressedthe mismatch check button 704, the process advances to step S1308, andthe CPU 212 determines whether the operation in step S1301 is thepressing process of the print start button 708. If the operation in stepS1301 is pressing of the print start button 708, the process advances tostep S1309, and the CPU 212 executes the print process for the selectedprint job. After the end of the print process for all the selected printjobs, the process returns again to step S1301. If the CPU 212 determinesin step S1308 that the operation in step S1301 is not pressing of theprint start button 708, it determines that the operation in step S1301does not correspond to any of the above-mentioned processes, andadvances the process to step S1310. In step S1310, the CPU 212 executesa process corresponding to the operation, and after the end of theprocess, returns to step S1301. Details of the process in step S1310 arenot important for a description of the effects of the embodiment, and adescription thereof will be omitted.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts for describing details of the mismatchcheck process (step S1307) upon pressing the mismatch check button 704according to the first embodiment. This process is achieved byexecuting, by the CPU 212 of the control unit 205, a program which isread out from the ROM 207 or HDD 209 and expanded in the RAM 208.

First, in step S1401, the CPU 212 acquires information of a sheet typeset for each sheet feed unit of the digital printing apparatus 102 andthe remaining amount of sheets. In the process of step S1401, the CPU212 instructs the sheet manager 211 to look up, for example, the sheetmanagement table as shown in FIG. 8. Then, the process advances to stepS1402, and the CPU 212 determines whether the mismatch check process hasbeen completed for all the print jobs. If the mismatch check process hasbeen completed for all the print jobs, the process ends; if NO, theprocess advances to step S1403. In step S1403, the CPU 212 decides aprint job to undergo the mismatch check process. The process advances tostep S1404, and the CPU 212 acquires information of a sheet to be usedby the print job, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C or the like, for the printjob decided in step S1403. Thereafter, the process advances to stepS1405, and the CPU 212 performs an initialization process to set truetwo types of flags (Flag 1 and Flag 2) for holding a mismatch checkresult. When Flag 1 is true, this represents a mismatch state in whichthe print job designates a sheet not set for any sheet feed unit. WhenFlag 2 is true, this represents that the print job designates a sheetset for a sheet feed unit but the remaining amount of sheets of thistype is 0. Note that these two flags are set in the RAM 208.

The process advances to step S1406 (FIG. 14B), and the CPU 212determines whether the check process has been completed for all thesheets to be used by the print job that have been extracted in stepS1404 in the print job decided in step S1403. If the determinationresult in step S1406 is false, that is, if all the sheets have not beenchecked, the process advances to step S1407, and the CPU 212 decides asheet to be checked among all the sheets to be used by the print job.Then, the process advances to step S1408, and the CPU 212 discriminateswhether all the sheet feed units have been checked. If all the sheetfeed units have not been checked, the process advances to step S1409,and the CPU 212 decides the next sheet feed unit. If all the sheet feedunits have been checked, the process returns to step S1406, and the CPU212 executes the comparison process for the next sheet.

If the discrimination result in step S1408 is false, there is a sheetfeed unit not having undergone the comparison process. Thus, the processadvances to step S1409, the CPU 212 decides a sheet feed unit to bechecked, and the process advances to step S1410. In step S1410, the CPU212 determines whether the sheet decided in step S1407 matches a sheetsize and sheet type set for the sheet feed unit decided in step S1409.If the sheet does not match the sheet size and sheet type, the processreturns to step S1408, and the CPU 212 executes the check process forthe next sheet feed unit.

If the CPU 212 determines in step S1410 that the decided sheet matchesthe sheet size and sheet type set for the decided sheet feed unit, theprocess advances to step S1411, and the CPU 212 sets the value of Flag 1to be “false”. The process advances to step S1412, and the CPU 212checks the remaining amount of sheets in the sheet feed unit decided instep S1409. If the CPU 212 discriminates that sheets remain, the processadvances to step S1413, the CPU 212 sets the value of Flag 2 to be“false”, and then the process returns to step S1408. If thediscrimination result in step S1412 is false, that is, the remainingamount of the sheet feed unit is “0”, the process returns to step S1408.If the CPU 212 discriminates in step S1408 that the comparison of sheetsizes and sheet types in all the sheet feed units has not ended, theprocess advances to step S1409, the CPU 212 sets a sheet feed unit to bechecked as the next sheet feed unit and executes the above-describedprocess. Upon completion of checking all the sheet feed units, theprocess advances to step S1406, and the CPU 212 determines whether allthe sheets to be used by the current print job have been checked. Ifthere is an unchecked sheet, the process advances to step S1407, and theCPU 212 performs the same process as the above-described one for thenext sheet serving as a check target.

If the determination result in step S1406 is true, that is, mismatchesbetween all the sheets to be used by the decided print job and thesheets of all the sheet feed units of the digital printing apparatus102, and the presence/absence of sheets have been checked, the processadvances to step S1414. In step S1414, the CPU 212 determines whetherthe value of the flag Flag 1 is “true”. If the value of the flag Flag 1is “true”, this means that a sheet to be used by the print job decidedin step S1403 is not set for any sheet feed unit of the digital printingapparatus 102. In this case, the process advances to step S1415, and theCPU 212 displays, for example, the warning mark 1102 representing themismatch state in the field of this print job in the job hold list 702,as shown in FIG. 11. Then, the process returns to step S1402. If thedetermination result in step S1414 is false, the process advances tostep S1416, and the CPU 212 determines whether the value of the flagFlag 2 is “true”. That is, the CPU 212 discriminates whether theremaining amount of sheets is 0, though a sheet to be used by the printjob selected in step S1403 is set for a sheet feed unit of the digitalprinting apparatus 102. If the discrimination result is true, theprocess advances to step S1417, and the CPU 212 displays, for example,the warning mark 1101 representing the sheet absence state in the fieldof this print job in the job hold list 702, as shown in FIG. 11. Then,the process returns to step S1402. If the discrimination result in stepS1416 is false, the process returns to step S1402. If the CPU 212determines in step S1402 that the check of sheets for all the selectedprint jobs has not been completed, the process advances to step S1403,and the CPU 212 sets a print job to be checked as the next print job andexecutes the above-described process.

Details of the mismatch check process in step S1307 of FIG. 13 have beenexplained.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, before executingthe print process for a print job saved in the digital printingapparatus 102 by using the job hold function, it can be discriminatedwhether a sheet to be used by the print job has been set for a sheetfeed unit. Further, whether the sheet exists in the sheet feed unit canbe discriminated before the start of the print process. At this time, itcan also be discriminated whether the sheet to be used by the selectedprint job is set for the sheet feed unit and whether the sheet actuallyexists while the sheet is set for the sheet feed unit.

Second Embodiment

The above-described first embodiment has exemplified a case in whicheither the warning mark 1101 or 1102 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 11.However, the state in which a sheet is set for a sheet feed unit but theremaining amount of sheets is 0, and the state in which a sheet to beused by a print job is not set for any sheet feed unit may occur at thesame time. For example, assume that a print job uses a plurality ofsheets, and a selected print job designates sheet A and sheet B.

Assume that sheet A is set for a sheet feed unit but the remainingamount of sheets is 0, and that sheet B is not set for any sheet feedunit. In this case, sheet A meets the condition to display the warningmark 1101 shown in FIG. 11, and sheet B corresponds to the condition todisplay the warning mark 1102. However, in the example of FIG. 11, itcannot be confirmed whether the remaining amount is 0 in all sheet feedunits for sheet B.

FIG. 15 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on a console unit 204 in a digitalprinting apparatus 102 according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 denote thesame parts. FIG. 15 shows a screen after a mismatch check button 704 ispressed. The remaining behaviors and the building components of thescreen are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a detaileddescription thereof will not be repeated. The hardware arrangement ofthe digital printing apparatus 102 according to the second embodiment isthe same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof willnot be repeated.

As shown in FIG. 15, both warning marks 1503 and 1504 are displayed atthe job D portion. From this, for a plurality of sheets, the user canconfirm the state in which a sheet is set for a sheet feed unit but theremaining amount of sheets is 0, and the state in which a sheet is notset for any sheet feed unit and the sheet does not exist in any sheetfeed unit.

In FIG. 15, for example, when the user presses a details/change button707 while selecting Job D, sheet sizes and sheet types (for example,FIG. 9B) to be used by Job D are displayed. A sheet which does notremain is displayed to be identifiable, and the display of a sheet feedunit for which the sheet is set is flickered. A sheet type not set forany sheet feed unit is highlighted and displayed. This display canpresent, to the user, a sheet of a sheet size and sheet type to be usedby Job D for which the remaining amount of sheets is 0, the sheet feedunit of the sheet, and a sheet type not set for any sheet feed unit.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are flowcharts for describing details of the mismatchcheck process (step S1307) upon pressing the mismatch check button 704according to the second embodiment. Note that the same referencenumerals as those in FIGS. 14A and 14B according to the first embodimentdenote the same parts. This process is achieved by executing, by a CPU212 of a control unit 205, a program which is read out from a ROM 207 orHDD 209 and expanded in a RAM 208.

In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the process shifts to step S1402 after displayinga mismatch icon in step S1415. In FIGS. 16A and 16B, unlike FIGS. 14Aand 14B, the process advances to step S1416 after step S1415, and afterdisplaying the mismatch mark 1503 in FIG. 15, the process advances to aprocess of displaying the sheet absence mark 1504 in FIG. 15 if thesheet does not exist.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 15, the warning mark 1503 representingthat a sheet is not set for any sheet feed unit, and the warning mark1504 representing that a sheet does not exist in any sheet feed unit canbe simultaneously displayed for one print job.

Third Embodiment

In FIG. 7 according to the first embodiment, a check target uponpressing by the mismatch check button 704 is only a print job selectedin the job hold list 702 at the time of pressing the button 704.

Assume that the selection state of a print job is canceled after awarning mark 1101 or 1102 is displayed upon pressing a mismatch checkbutton 704, as shown in FIG. 11. There is conceivable an embodiment inwhich the warning mark 1101 or 1102 is kept displayed even after theprint job has become in a non-selected state.

The user executes various work operations by using the job hold screenas shown in FIG. 7. It highly likely occurs that the user performsvarious trial-and-error operations during this process. For example, theuser cancels the selection state of a print job and selects the printjob later again. Considering the convenience at the time of thisoperation by the user, even an unselected print job which has beenselected once by the user and undergone a mismatch check serves as aprint job candidate which may be selected later again. In such asituation, it is preferable to keep the warning marks 1101 and 1102 orthe like displayed, rather than resetting the display of these markswhen the selection state of a print job is canceled.

In the third embodiment, even when the selection state of a print job(Job D) is canceled, warning marks 1503 and 1504 representing mismatchcheck results are kept displayed, as shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 17 depicts a view illustrating an example of an operation screen ofa job hold function displayed on the console unit in the digitalprinting apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17 shows ascreen after the mismatch check button 704 was pressed and the selectionstate of the print job (Job D) was cancelled.

Fourth Embodiment

After a mismatch check button 704 is pressed, a warning mark 1101 or1102 is displayed for each job displayed in a job hold list 702 in FIG.11 and equivalent drawings. After these marks are displayed, they arekept displayed till update by pressing the mismatch check button 704.

A further effect can be obtained by storing this display state in anonvolatile way together with data and print settings of a print jobstored in a save document storage area 512. That is, a mismatch checkresult can be saved permanently. For example, even when a digitalprinting apparatus 102 is turned off and then on, the result of amismatch check executed before power-off can be held at the time of thenext power-on. Upon power-on, the result of the mismatch check executedbefore power-off can be displayed in the job hold list 702 withoutpressing again the mismatch check button 704.

For example, even when the user turns off the printing apparatus 102 tointerrupt operation during work and then turns it on to restart thework, the user can easily confirm the continuation of the work.

Fifth Embodiment

The fifth embodiment will explain an example of checking, for only aselected job, a sheet type necessary for the job and the remainingamount of sheets, and a sheet substitution process after executing thecheck.

FIG. 18 depicts a schematic view for explaining a printing systemaccording to the fifth embodiment.

In FIG. 18, reference numerals 1801 to 1803 denote host computers. Aprinting apparatus 1800 is connected to the host computers 1801 to 1803via a network 1804. The printing apparatus 1800 receives print jobs fromthe host computers 1801 to 1803 via the network 1804.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of acontroller 1900 in the printing apparatus 1800 according to the fifthembodiment.

In FIG. 19, the controller 1900 includes a CPU 1901, RAM 1902, programROM 1903, data ROM 1904, network interface (I/F) 1905, printer interface(I/F) 1906, and external storage 1907. The CPU 1901 controls theoperation of the printing apparatus 1800 based on a program stored inthe program ROM 1903. The RAM 1902 is used as a main memory when the CPU1901 operates, and an area (work area) for temporarily storinginformation. The data ROM 1904 stores permanent information such as afont to be called when the CPU 1901 executes a program. The network I/F1905 is connected to the network 1804 and receives a job from the hostcomputer. The printer I/F 1906 connects a printer engine 1908 and thecontroller 1900. The external storage 1907 is a large-capacity storagesuch as a hard disk or flash memory. The CPU 1901, the RAM 1902, theROMs 1903 and 1904, the I/Fs 1905 and 1906, the external storage 1907,and a UI (User Interface) 1909 are connected via a system bus 1910. TheUI 1909 includes an operation panel including a touch panel, hard keysfor accepting an operation by the user, and a display.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the software arrangement of thecontroller 1900 and its peripheral arrangement in the printing apparatus1800 according to the fifth embodiment.

A UI controller 2001 connects the UI 1909 and a job controller 2004. Anetwork controller 2002 controls the network I/F 1905. A documentmanager 2003 saves a job. The job controller 2004 controls execution ofa job by the controller 1900. An image processor 2005 rasterizes aninput job to generate image data for printing. A printer controller 2006controls the printer engine 1908 via the printer I/F 1906. A settingstorage unit 2007 stores various types of setting information set fromthe UI 1909, and stores even sheet settings. Sheet feed units 2010 to2014 are mounted in the printer engine 1908. In this case, five sheetfeed units are mounted.

With the above arrangement, an externally input hold job is temporarilystored in the external storage 1907 (FIG. 19) and managed by thedocument manager 2003. Note that the control process and managementprocess by the units 2001 to 2007 are implemented by executing a programin the program ROM 1903 by the CPU 1901.

FIG. 21 depicts a view illustrating an example of a hold job listdisplayed on the UI 1909 in the printing apparatus according to thefifth embodiment.

A job list 2101 is a list of hold jobs held in the external storage1907. The job list 2101 displays a predetermined number of held jobs. Inthe job list 2101, there are two states in which jobs are selected: acurrent selection state selected for one job as an operation target, anda multiple selection state selected for a plurality of jobs serving asoperation targets. A currently selected job is always included in aplurality of selected jobs.

A current selection job 2102 is expressed by coloring the background ofthe job display. Three jobs (Job 1 to Job 3) 2102 to 2103 are aplurality of selected hold jobs, and numbers added to them express theorder of selection. In FIG. 21, Job 1 to Job 3 are selected in the ordernamed. Reference numeral 2104 denotes an update button; and numeral 2105denotes an icon representing that a medium mismatch occurs in a job. Bypressing the update button 2104, the mismatch icon 2105 is updated tothe latest state. When there is no selected job, the update button 2104is grayed out and cannot be pressed. A sheet substitution button 2106 isa transition button to a sheet substitution screen to perform sheetsubstitution (switch the sheet feeding source) for the current selectionjob. A print button 2107 is a button for instructing printing to executea plurality of selected hold jobs in the selection order and print. Ifthere is no current selection job, the sheet substitution button 2106 isgrayed out and cannot be pressed. If there are a number of hold jobswhich cannot be fit in the job list 2101, the user can press scrollbuttons 2108 to display a list of hold jobs not currently displayed.

In FIG. 21, a medium mismatch occurs in Job 1. That is, when Job 1requests a sheet size and sheet type set for each sheet feed unit to beused, it is represented in an identifiable manner that a sheet size andsheet type actually set for each sheet feed unit do not meet therequest. In this case, the user presses the sheet substitution button2106 while selecting Job 1, as shown in FIG. 21. In response to this,the screen changes to one in FIG. 22.

FIG. 22 depicts a view illustrating an example of a sheet substitutionscreen displayed on the UI 1909 in the printing apparatus 1800 accordingto the fifth embodiment. This screen appears when the sheet substitutionbutton 2106 is pressed while a current selection job (for example, Job1) is selected, as in the screen of FIG. 21.

Reference numeral 2201 denotes a list of sheets to be used by thecurrent selection job (Job 1). The number in [ ] at the left end of thislist indicates a sheet feed unit. For example, as represented by 2202,Job 1 requests sheet size A4 and a medium type (Plain paper) of sheetfeed unit 1. Further, no substitute sheet is set for the sheet of sheetfeed unit 1, and no medium mismatch has occurred. This means that asheet of a size and type requested by Job 1 is set in sheet feed unit 1.

Reference numeral 2203 denotes a line indicating a currently selectedsheet feed unit. The background of the line 2203 of the currentlyselected sheet feed unit is colored to represent that the sheet feedunit is being selected. As for the currently selected sheet feed unit,Job 1 requests sheet size A3 and a medium type (thick paper) of sheetfeed unit 3. However, a sheet set for sheet feed unit 3 does not meetthis condition. Hence, the sheet feed source is changed to sheet feedunit 4 so that a sheet of a size and type requested by Job 1 can be fed.An icon 2204 represents that a medium mismatch has occurred in sheetfeed unit 3. The medium mismatch has occurred because Job 1 requestssheet size A3 and the medium type (thick paper) of sheet feed unit 3,but a sheet meeting this condition is not set for sheet feed unit 3. Tosolve this, sheet feed unit 4 storing a sheet of the sheet size and typerequested by Job 1 is designated instead of sheet feed unit 3.

A “select change sheet” button 2205 is a button for changing to a screenfor selecting a substitute sheet. For example, when the “select changesheet” button 2205 is pressed in the state of FIG. 22, the sheet feedunit requested by Job 1 is changed from sheet feed unit 3 to sheet feedunit 4. A “to sheet before change” button 2206 is a button for cancelingthe substitution setting for each sheet. An OK button 2207 is a buttonfor settling a selected substitute sheet. A cancel button 2208 is abutton for canceling a substitute sheet provisionally set on thisscreen.

FIGS. 23A and 23B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayingthe job list screen by the controller 1900 in the printing apparatus1800 according to the fifth embodiment. A program for executing thisprocess is stored in the program ROM 1903 and executed by the CPU 1901,thereby achieving this process.

This process starts when an event to designate display of the job listscreen is issued. First, in step S2301, a list of hold jobs managed andsaved by the document manager 2003 is displayed in a predeterminedorder, as shown in FIG. 21. Note that the hold job is a job which wasprinted, or a job which was unprinted and is saved in the externalstorage 1907. When the job list screen is displayed for the first timeor is displayed upon switching from another function, the CPU 1901 setsboth the current selection job and multiple selection jobs to “none” instep S2302. Then, the process advances to step S2303, and the CPU 1901waits for a user input operation using the UI 1909.

If any input is received in step S2303, the process advances to stepS2304, and the CPU 1901 determines the type of input. If the input is,for example, a job selection instruction issued by touching a job in thejob list 2101 with a user's finger, the process advances to step S2305(FIG. 23B), and the CPU 1901 determines whether the job is a currentlyselected job (current selection job). If NO in step S2305, the processadvances to step S2306, and the CPU 1901 displays the selected job as acurrent selected job with its background color, as represented by areference numeral 2102 in FIG. 21. The process advances to step S2307,and the CPU 1901 determines whether the job is one of a plurality ofselected jobs. If YES in step S2307, the process advances to step S2308,and the CPU 1901 adds the currently selected job as one of the pluralityof selected jobs, assigns the number of the selection order, andredisplays the job list 2101. Thereafter, the process returns to stepS2303 to wait for the next input from the UI 1909. If the CPU 1901 doesnot determine in step S2307 that the job is one of a plurality ofselected jobs, the process returns to step S2303 without doing nothingfor the number of the selection order.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2305 that the job has already been acurrent selected job, the process advances to step S2309, and the CPU1901 determines to exclude the selected job from current selected jobs,and displays the job without the background color. The process advancesto step S2310. If the job is included in multiple selection targets, theCPU 1901 excludes it from the targets, reassigns the number of theselection order to each job, and redisplays the job list 2101. Theprocess returns to step S2303 (FIG. 23A) to wait for the next input fromthe UI 1909.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2304 that the update button 2104 hasbeen pressed while a job is selected, the process advances to stepS2311, and the CPU 1901 checks whether a medium mismatch has occurred inthe selected job, updates the medium mismatch state, obtains the result,and displays it on the job list 2101. The process returns to step S2303to wait for the next input from the UI 1909. The process in step S2311will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 24.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2304 that another button has beenoperated, the process advances to step S2312 (FIG. 23B). In step S2312,the CPU 1901 determines whether the sheet substitution button 2106 inFIG. 21 has been pressed. If the sheet substitution button 2106 has notbeen pressed, the process advances to step S2315, the CPU 1901 performsa process corresponding to the pressed button, and then the processreturns to step S2303. If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2312 thatanother button, for example, the print button 2107 has been pressed, acorresponding process of printing a plurality of selected jobs in theselection order is performed. However, the contents of this process aregeneral ones, and a description thereof will be omitted.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2312 that the sheet substitutionbutton 2106 has been pressed, the process advances to step S2313, andthe CPU 1901 executes a sheet information display process to display asheet substitution screen as shown in FIG. 22 for a currently selectedjob. After that, the process advances to step S2314, and the CPU 1901checks a medium mismatch for the job, updates the state, and redisplaysit on the job list 2101. The above-described process is continuouslyexecuted until the job list screen is switched to another screen. Notethat the process in step S2313 will be described with reference to theflowcharts of FIGS. 25A and 25B.

According to this process, a list of hold jobs can be displayed on theUI 1909 to prompt the user to select a job from the job list and printit. At this time, it can be easily confirmed whether the size and typeof a sheet to be used by the selected job for printing match those of asheet set for a sheet feed unit. If the size and type of a sheet to beused by the selected job for printing do not match those of a sheet setfor a sheet feed unit, another sheet feed unit storing the sheet of thesize and type to be used by the job can be designated to execute thejob.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for describing a process of determining themedium mismatch states of a plurality of selected jobs by the controller1900 in the printing apparatus 1800 according to the fifth embodiment. Aprogram for executing this process is stored in the program ROM 1903 andexecuted by the CPU 1901, thereby achieving this process. This processcorresponds to details of the process in step S2311 of FIG. 23A.

First, in step S2401, the CPU 1901 determines whether a job not havingundergone determination of the medium mismatch state exists ininformation of a plurality of selected jobs. If the process has endedfor all the selected jobs, the process advances to step S2409. In stepS2409, the CPU 1901 acquires the determination result of the mediummismatch state of the selected job, and ends this process.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2401 that there is a job not havingundergone the determination process of the medium mismatch state, theprocess advances to step S2402, and the CPU 1901 determines whether thejob is a medium mismatch determination target job. If the CPU 1901determines that the job is not a target job, the process returns to stepS2401 to perform the process for the next job. If the CPU 1901determines in step S2402 that the job is a medium mismatch determinationtarget job, the process advances to step S2403, and the CPU 1901determines whether information of a sheet to be used by the job hasalready been acquired. If the CPU 1901 determines that the informationhas not been acquired yet, the process advances to step S2404, the CPU1901 acquires and saves three attributes of the sheet feed unit, size,and medium type (sheet type) as information of a sheet to be used by thejob, and then the process advances to step S2405. If sheets of the samesheet feed unit, sheet size, and medium type are used for differentpages of one job, pieces of information are integrated as the sameinformation. If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2403 that informationof a sheet to be used by the job has already been acquired, the processadvances to step S2405.

In step S2405, the CPU 1901 determines whether the determination processhas ended for all the sheet feed units to be used by the job. If thedetermination process has ended for all the sheet feed units, theprocess advances to step S2408, the CPU 1901 selects the next job fromselected jobs, and then the process advances to step S2401.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2405 that the determination processhas not ended for all the sheet feed units to be used by the job, theprocess advances to step S2406, and the CPU 1901 determines, from theacquired sheet feed unit information, whether a medium mismatch hasoccurred in the sheet feed unit, and saves the determination result. Theprocess advances to step S2407, the CPU 1901 sets the next sheet feedunit as a determination target, and the process advances to step S2405.If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2401 that the process has ended forall the selected jobs, it acquires the determination result of eachsaved job, and ends this process.

Accordingly, it can be determined for a selected job whether the sheetsize and sheet type of a sheet feed unit requested by the job match asheet size and sheet type actually set for the sheet feed unit. If aplurality of jobs are selected, it can be determined for each of thejobs whether the sheet size and sheet type of a sheet feed unitrequested by the job match a sheet size and sheet type actually set forthe sheet feed unit.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayingthe sheet substitution screen by the controller 1900 in the printingapparatus 1800 according to the fifth embodiment. A program forexecuting this process is stored in the program ROM 1903 and executed bythe CPU 1901, thereby achieving this process. This process correspondsto details of the sheet substitution screen display process in stepS2313 of FIG. 23B.

First, if the CPU 1901 determines in step S2501 that there is neither acurrent selection job nor a job not subjected to sheet substitution,this process ends without performing the sheet substitution screendisplay process. If NO in step S2501, the process advances to stepS2502, and the CPU 1901 determines whether information of a sheet to beused by the job has already been acquired. If the sheet information hasalready been acquired, the process advances to step S2504. If the sheetinformation has not been acquired, the process advances to step S2503,and the CPU 1901 acquires and saves three attributes of the sheetfeeding unit, size, and sheet type as the information of a sheet to beused by the job, similar to step S2404 of FIG. 24. The process thenadvances to step S2504.

In step S2504, the CPU 1901 determines whether the medium mismatchdetermination process has ended for all the sheets to be used by thejob. If the determination process has ended for all the sheets, theprocess advances to step S2507. If NO in step S2504, the processadvances to step S2505. In step S2505, the CPU 1901 determines a mediummismatch for each sheet as well as in step S2406 in FIG. 24. The processadvances to step S2506, and if a substitute sheet has already been set,the CPU 1901 displays the substitute sheet information and a mediummismatch state for this sheet, and then the process returns to stepS2504. Note that the process in step S2505 will be described withreference to the flowchart of FIG. 26.

In step S2507, the CPU 1901 displays an information list of sheets to beused by the job, as shown in FIG. 22, in a state in which no sheet isselected. The process then advances to step S2508 (FIG. 25B) to wait foran input from the UI 1909. If an input from the UI 1909 is received, theprocess advances to step S2509, and the CPU 1901 determines the input.If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2509 that the input is aninstruction to select a sheet, the process advances to step S2510, andthe CPU 1901 determines whether the sheet has not been selected. If theCPU 1901 determines that the sheet has not been selected, the processadvances to step S2511, the CPU 1901 displays the sheet as a selectedsheet with its background color, and then the process advances to stepS2508. If the CPU 1901 determines that the sheet has already beenselected, the process advances from step S2510 to step S2512, the CPU1901 excludes the selected sheet from selected sheets and displays itwithout the background color, and then the process advances to stepS2508. The processes in steps S2509 to S2512 are a process of switchingselection/non-selection of sheet information.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2509 that the input is pressing ofthe “select change sheet” button 2205 in change sheet selection, theprocess advances to step S2514 via step S2513. In step S2514, the CPU1901 provisionally sets a sheet selected on the sheet substitutionscreen (FIG. 22) as a substitute sheet, and the process advances to stepS2516. If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2509 that the “to sheetbefore change” button 2206 has been pressed, the process advances tostep S2515 via step S2513. In step S2515, if a substitute sheet is setfor the selected sheet, the CPU 1901 deletes it, and the processadvances to step S2516. In step S2516, the CPU 1901 determines a mediummismatch for the selected sheet as well as in step S2505. The processthen advances to step S2517, the CPU 1901 updates the display of theicon 2204 representing the mismatch state of the selected sheet, and theprocess returns to step S2508. Note that the process in step S2516 willbe described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 26.

If pressing of the OK button 2207 or cancel button 2208 is received instep S2508, the process advances to step S2518. For the OK button 2207,the process advances to step S2519, and the CPU 1901 settles and savesthe substitute sheet information set on this screen not as a provisionalone but as an actual one, and ends the process. For the cancel button2208, the process advances to step S2520, and the CPU 1901 discards thesubstitute sheet, deletion instruction, and the like set on this screen,validates original substitute sheet information, and ends the process.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart for describing a process of determining thepresence/absence of a medium mismatch for each sheet by the controller1900 in the printing apparatus 1800 according to the fifth embodiment. Aprogram for executing this process is stored in the program ROM 1903 andexecuted by the CPU 1901, thereby achieving this process. This processcorresponds to details of the processes in step S2406 of FIG. 24 andsteps S2505 and S2516 of FIG. 25B.

First, in step S2601, the CPU 1901 obtains, from the printer engine1908, information of a sheet set for each sheet feed unit of the printerengine 1908. Some devices store sheet information not only in theprinter engine 1908 but also in the controller 1900. In this case, thesepieces of information are obtained from the setting storage unit 2007.The process advances to step S2602, and the CPU 1901 determines whethera substitute sheet is set for a sheet obtained from the job. If asubstitute sheet is set, the process advances to step S2603, the CPU1901 sets the substitute sheet as a determination target, and theprocess advances to step S2605. If no substitute sheet is set, theprocess advances to step S2604, the CPU 1901 sets the sheet itself as adetermination target, and the process advances to step S2605.

In step S2605, the CPU 1901 determines whether all the pieces ofinformation of the sheet feed unit, size, and medium type of the targetsheet match the printer sheet information acquired in step S2601. Ifthese pieces of information match the printer sheet information, theprocess advances to step S2606, the CPU 1901 determines that no mediummismatch has occurred, and the process advances to step S2608. If thesepieces of information do not match the printer sheet information, theprocess advances to step S2607, the CPU 1901 determines that a mediummismatch has occurred, and the process advances to step S2608. In stepS2608, the CPU 1901 writes the determination result in the sheetinformation and ends the process.

According to the above-described process, when the operator displays ahold job list, selects a plurality of jobs to be printed, and pressesthe update button 2104 before designating the start of printing, amedium mismatch is determined for each selected job and the result isdisplayed.

Even if many hold jobs exist, the number of jobs to be actually printedis not so large in general and is about several to 100 at most. For thisreason, the medium mismatch determination is a process of about severalseconds even by a CPU which is not a high-end one.

Only when the operator intentionally presses the update button 2104, themedium mismatch determination is performed. When, for example, theoperator scrolls the job list to search for a job, no medium mismatchdetermination is performed. Thus, the operator does not feel stressedfrom slow display.

When the operator selects a job suffering a medium mismatch and displaysthe sheet substitution screen, a sheet suffering the medium mismatch canbe recognized for each sheet, as shown in FIG. 22. As another advantage,the operator can quickly discriminate whether the medium mismatch willbe canceled if another sheet is substituted to avoid the mediummismatch.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, when the operatordesignates printing of a hold job, he can confirm, before designatingthe start of printing, whether the sheet of a sheet feed unit designatedby the job matches a sheet actually stored in the sheet feed unit. Sincemedium mismatch determination is performed for only a selected job andis not performed for other jobs, the time and burden for medium mismatchdetermination can be reduced.

If a sheet mismatch occurs, the operator can designate the sheet of asubstitutable sheet feed unit by a simple operation, and a cumbersomeoperation by the operator can be eliminated.

Sixth Embodiment

In the fifth embodiment described above, the operator selects aplurality of jobs from a plurality of hold jobs and presses the updatebutton 2104 to determine the presence/absence of a medium mismatch forthe selected jobs. To the contrary, instantaneously when a job isselected, the presence/absence of a medium mismatch when executing thejob may be determined. Even in this case, the process time can beshortened if the number of jobs is one. The sixth embodiment will bedescribed, in which the presence/absence of a medium mismatch for a jobis determined at the timing when the job is selected. The hardwarearrangement and system configuration of an apparatus and the likeaccording to the sixth embodiment are the same as those in the fifthembodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

FIGS. 27A and 27B are flowcharts for describing a process of displayinga job list screen by a controller 1900 in a printing apparatus 1800according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. A programfor executing this process is stored in a program ROM 1903 and executedby a CPU 1901, thereby achieving this process.

Note that processes in steps S2701 to S2708 and S2710 to S2716 are thesame as those in steps S2301 to S2315 of FIGS. 23A and 23B in the fifthembodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

Unlike the fifth embodiment, in step S2707, the CPU 1901 determineswhether the job is included in a plurality of selected jobs. If the jobis included in a plurality of selected jobs, the process advances tostep S2708, the CPU 1901 adds the job as one of the plurality ofselected jobs and assigns a number of the selection order, and then theprocess advances to step S2709. If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2707that the job is not included in a plurality of selected jobs, theprocess advances to step S2709. In step S2709, the CPU 1901 determinesthe presence/absence of a medium mismatch for the job, and if a mismatchoccurs, adds an icon and redisplays a job list 2101. After that, theprocess advances to step S2703 to wait for the next input.

According to the above-described process, when the operator displays ahold job list and selects a job to be printed, the presence/absence of amedium mismatch is determined for the job every time the job isselected. This process is executed for each job, and is a process ofabout several tens of milliseconds even by a CPU which is not a high-endone. Hence, the operator does not feel stressed from slow display of thescreen or the like.

Since the presence/absence of medium mismatch is not determined when thejob list is scrolled to search for a job, similar to the fifthembodiment, the operator does not feel stressed from slow display.

Determination of the presence/absence of a medium mismatch may take thetime of several seconds for a UI capable of selecting 100 jobs from thetop at once or a UI capable of designating a range, instead of selectingjobs one by one from the job list. However, the total time is not sodifferent from the time taken until the update button is pressed afterselecting a job, so it is considered that the operator would notparticularly feel unnatural. For an operator who does not requiredetermination of the presence/absence of a medium mismatch every time ajob is selected, it suffices to switch the method in the sixthembodiment to the one in the fifth embodiment.

Seventh Embodiment

In the fifth embodiment described above, the presence/absence of amedium mismatch is determined on the premise that all pieces ofinformation such as the sheet size, sheet feed unit, and medium type areprepared for a sheet to be used by a job. However, all these pieces ofinformation are rarely set for the sheet of an actually input job. Forexample, “AUTO” may be set without designating a sheet feed unit in thedesignation of a job, and the printing apparatus may automaticallysearch a sheet feed unit for a sheet matching the job and feed thesheet. Alternatively, a job may designate only a sheet feed unit anddesignate neither a sheet size nor medium type, like a front cover, backcover, and insertion sheet. In this case, a match occurs for only thesheet feed unit, and a mismatch occurs for the sheet size and mediumtype. For all jobs using an insertion sheet, it is determined that amedium mismatch occurs.

As another problem, a sheet size and medium type are set as informationof a sheet set for a sheet feed unit, but the sheet feed unit is pulledout from an actual printing apparatus and cannot feed a sheet. Even ifthe sheet feed unit is closed, no sheet may be stored (sheets run out).

The seventh embodiment in which the presence/absence of a mediummismatch is determined in these cases will be described. The hardwarearrangement and system configuration of an apparatus and the likeaccording to the seventh embodiment are the same as those in the fifthembodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are flowcharts for describing a process of determiningthe presence/absence of a medium mismatch for each sheet by a controller1900 in a printing apparatus 1800 according to the seventh embodiment ofthe present invention. A program for executing this process is stored ina program ROM 1903 and executed by a CPU 1901, thereby achieving thisprocess. This process corresponds to details of the processes in stepS2406 of FIG. 24 and steps S2505 and S2516 of FIGS. 25A and 25B. Notethat processes in steps S2801 to S2804 are the same as those in stepsS2601 to S2604 of FIG. 26, and a description thereof will not berepeated.

In step S2805, the CPU 1901 determines whether the designation of thesheet feed unit of a sheet for a target job is “AUTO”. If thedesignation is “AUTO”, the process advances to step S2806. In stepS2806, the CPU 1901 determines whether a sheet feed unit storing a sheetmatching the designated sheet size and medium type exists among thesheet feed units of the printing apparatus 1800. If there is a matchingsheet feed unit, the process advances to step S2807, and the CPU 1901determines whether the sheet feed unit runs out of sheets. If the CPU1901 determines in step S2807 that the sheet feed unit does not run outof sheets, the process advances to step S2808, and the CPU 1901determines whether the sheet feed unit has been pulled out. If the CPU1901 determines that the sheet feed unit has not been pulled out (hasnot been opened), the process advances to step S2809, the CPU 1901determines that no mismatch has occurred, and the process advances tostep S2811.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2806 that a sheet matching the sheetsize and medium type does not exist in any sheet feed unit, determinesin step S2807 that the sheet feed unit runs out of sheets, or determinesin step S2808 that the sheet feed unit has been opened, the processadvances to step S2810. In step S2810, the CPU 1901 determines that amismatch has occurred, the process advances to step S2811, and the CPU1901 writes the determination result in the sheet information of the joband ends the process.

If the CPU 1901 determines in step S2805 that the designation of thesheet feed unit of a sheet designated by the target job is not “AUTO”but a sheet feed unit is specifically designated, the process advancesto step S2812, and the CPU 1901 further checks the designation of thesheet size and medium type of the job. If neither the sheet size normedium type is designated, the process advances to step S2813, and theCPU 1901 obtains, from sheet setting information of the printingapparatus, information of a sheet size and medium type set for thedesignated sheet feed unit. The CPU 1901 employs the sheet size andmedium type set for the sheet feed unit as the sheet size and mediumtype of the job, and then the process advances to step S2814. If the CPU1901 determines in step S2812 that the job designates one or both of thesheet size and medium type, the process advances to step S2814.

In step S2814, the CPU 1901 determines whether the sheet of thedesignated sheet feed unit matches the sheet size and medium type. Ifthere is a matching sheet feed unit, the process advances to step S2807;if NO, to step S2810. In step S2810, the CPU 1901 determines that amismatch has occurred, the process advances to step S2811, and the CPU1901 writes the determination result in the sheet information of the joband ends the process.

According to the above-described process, when the designation of thesheet feed unit of a sheet to be used by a held job is “AUTO”, the sheetfeed units of the printing apparatus is searched for a sheet feed unitstoring a sheet matching the sheet size and medium type. If there is amatching sheet feed unit, no medium mismatch occurs. However, if nomatching sheet exists in any sheet feed unit, it is determined that amedium mismatch occurs.

When sheets to be used by a job include a sheet which is simply fed andsuperimposed on a product without printing, like a front cover, backcover, or insertion sheet, the size and medium type of the designatedsheet are set for the designated sheet feed unit before determiningwhether a medium mismatch occurs.

If the sheet exists in the sheet feed unit, no medium mismatch occurs;if it does not exist, a medium mismatch occurs owing to the absence ofthe sheet.

Further, when the sheet feed unit runs out of sheets or when the sheetfeed unit is opened and cannot feed a sheet, it is determined that amedium mismatch occurs.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments,and various modifications (including organic combinations of theembodiments) can be made based on the gist of the present invention andare not intended to be excluded from the scope of the present invention.For example, in the above-described embodiment, the CPU of the controlunit 205 of the digital printing apparatus 102 serves as a mainprocessor for the various control operations. However, it may beconfigured to be able to execute some or all of the various controloperations by, for example, the external controller of a housingdifferent from the digital printing apparatus 102.

Other Embodiments

Aspects of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of asystem or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU or MPU) that reads out andexecutes a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functionsof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method, the steps ofwhich are performed by a computer of a system or apparatus by, forexample, reading out and executing a program recorded on a memory deviceto perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s). For thispurpose, the program is provided to the computer for example via anetwork or from a recording medium of various types serving as thememory device (for example, computer-readable medium).

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Nos.2012-274054, filed Dec. 24, 2012 and 2013-123174, filed Jun. 11, 2013,which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A printing apparatus that is able to convey asheet from at least one of a plurality of sheet storage units and printan image on the sheet, comprising: a holding unit configured to hold oneor more print jobs; a judgment unit configured to judge whether or not asheet exists in the at least one sheet storage unit to be used by aprint job of one or more print jobs held in the holding unit; anotification unit configured to notify, based on the judgment by thejudgment unit, that a sheet to be used by the print job does not exist;a selection instruction receiving unit configured to receive, from auser, a selection instruction for selecting at least one print job fromamong the print jobs held in the holding unit; an executing instructionreceiving unit configured to receive, from a user, an executinginstruction for the at least one print job selected by the selectioninstruction; and an executing unit configured to execute the at leastone print job selected by the selection instruction according to theexecuting instruction received by the executing instruction receivingunit, wherein the notification unit is able to notify that a sheet to beused by the selected at least one print job does not exist before theexecuting instruction receiving unit receives the executing instructionfor the selected at least one print job.
 2. The printing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies, in a casewhere the judgment unit judges that a sheet does not exist in the atleast one sheet storage unit to be used by a print job of one or moreprint jobs held in the holding unit, that a sheet to be used by theprint job does not exist.
 3. The printing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the notification unit notifies that a sheet to be used by theselected at least one print job does not exist by displaying a mark. 4.The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising adetermination unit configured to determine, as the at least one sheetstorage unit to be used by the print job, at least one sheet storageunit for which attribution information of a sheet to be used by theprint job is registered, in the plurality of sheet storage units,wherein the determination unit determines, for a first print job held inthe holding unit, at least one sheet storage unit for which attributioninformation of a sheet to be used by the first print job held in theholding unit is registered, in the plurality of sheet storage units,wherein the determination unit determines, for a second print job heldin the holding unit, at least one sheet storage unit for whichattribution information of a sheet to be used by the second print jobheld in the holding unit is registered in the plurality of sheet storageunits, wherein the judgment unit judges, for the first print job held inthe holding unit, whether or not a sheet exists in the at least onesheet storage unit determined by the determination unit, wherein thejudgment unit judges, for the second print job held in the holding unit,whether or not a sheet exists in the at least one sheet storage unitdetermined by the determination unit, wherein the notification unitnotifies, based on the judgment, by the judgment unit, of that a sheetdoes not exist in the at least one sheet storage unit for the firstprint job, that a sheet to be used by the first print job does notexist, and wherein the notification unit notifies, based on thejudgment, by the judgment unit, of that a sheet does not exist in the atleast one sheet storage unit for the second print job, that a sheet tobe used by the second print job does not exist.
 5. The printingapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the notification unit notifiesthat a sheet to be used by the first print job does not exist and asheet to be used by the second print job does not exist in the samescreen.
 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thejudgment unit judges, before the executing instruction receiving unitreceives the execution instruction, whether or not a sheet exists in theat least one sheet storage unit to be used by a print job of one or moreprint jobs held in the holding unit.
 7. The printing apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display alist of print jobs held in the holding unit.
 8. The printing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a determination instructionreceiving unit configured to receive a judgment instruction for causingthe judgment unit to perform the judgment.
 9. The printing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile storage unitconfigured to store a judgment result by the judgment unit, wherein thenotification unit notifies, based on the judgment result stored in thenon-volatile storage unit, that a sheet to be used by the selected atleast one print job does not exist.
 10. The printing apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receivethe one or more print jobs via a network.
 11. The printing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit configured toprint the image on the sheet by executing the at least one print jobselected by the selection instruction.
 12. A control method forcontrolling a printing apparatus which is able to convey from at leastone of a plurality of sheet storage units and print an image on thesheet, comprising: holding one or more print jobs in a holding unit;judging whether or not a sheet exists in the at least one determinedsheet storage unit to be used by a print job of one or more print jobsheld in the holding unit; notifying, based on the judgment, that a sheetto be used by the print job does not exist; receiving, from a user, aselection instruction for selecting at least one print job from amongprint jobs held in the holding unit; receiving, from a user, anexecuting instruction for the at least one print job selected by theselection instruction; and executing the print job selected by theselection instruction according to the received executing instruction,wherein it is able to be notified that a sheet to be used by theselected at least one print job does not exist before the executinginstruction receiving unit receives the executing instruction for theselected at least one print job.
 13. A non-transitory computer readablestorage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute amethod, the method comprising, holding one or more print jobs in aholding unit; judging whether or not a sheet exists in the at least onedetermined sheet storage unit to be used by a print job of one or moreprint jobs held in the holding unit; notifying, based on the judgment,that a sheet to be used by the print job does not exist; receiving, froma user, a selection instruction for selecting at least one print jobfrom among print jobs held in the holding unit; receiving, from a user,an executing instruction for the at least one print job selected by theselection instruction; and executing the print job selected by theselection instruction according to the received executing instruction,wherein it is able to be notified that a sheet to be used by theselected at least one print job does not exist before the executinginstruction receiving unit receives the executing instruction for theselected at least one print job.